Divine Intervention
by JeffC FTW
Summary: They came together because of the one they both loved and abandoned them and their beloved village. He was the new Hokage. She had to learn to open her eyes to see what was really in front of her, establish her identity.
1. Orders of the Hokage

**This is the prequel to "Almonds and Cherry Blossoms". In this AU, Itachi is Fifth Hokage since Sarutobi died, so no surprise? Our favorite Uchiha does have the qualifications to become village leader. And this time, he is in position when his brother defects and Sakura is left broken-hearted. He helps her get through the pain as well as dealing with his own.**

 **I did notice this story title has been used by many before, and comes from exactly what the term means: "When someone is placed in the right place at the right time to be a catalyst for someone in need, when the person in need have been in angst about how they would get through a certain situation." I have been thinking that because of his own failure, Itachi wishes to help Sakura by being there for her, and then taking her to a place where she deserves to be more than just support for her boys.**

 **Disclaimer: nothing is mine AT ALL.**

Chapter One

Orders of the Hokage

 _"It's been decided, Itachi. At the emergency executive committee, it was decided that you would be the Fifth Hokage. This village needs a strong, trustworthy and knowledgeable leader."_

A couple days after Orochimaru's attack, leaving the Hidden Leaf Village nearly in complete ruins, then the funeral services of the Third Hokage, he was summoned in the presence of Homura and Koharu, his mask pushed over his head to show a tired youthful face with distinctive lines beneath his eyes and bags to prove stress and lack of sleep. He was accustomed by now, but according to physicians, there was a chance he wouldn't live past twenty-one if he continued like this.

Too much had happened ever since the exams had begun. Orochimaru infiltrated first Sunagakure, found Sasuke and marked him, which Itachi had failed to prevent because the slimy snake had slipped in undetected. That was what real serpents were known for: they slipped in without warning and attacked when defenses were all down. His summoned serpents knocked down homes and buildings while he himself then engaged Sarutobi within a barrier created by four of his lackeys - identified as the Sound Four. Itachi wished he was there to try and help, but his orders were to protect the village and the civilians. In turn, he commanded his inferior ANBU to do the same.

Sasuke and his team fought Gaara, whose One-Tailed beast took him over and ran amok. His pink-haired teammate, Haruno-san, was the constant butt of distress, no pun intended, and needed protecting. When his younger brother couldn't, it was Naruto Uzumaki.

Itachi had never been so impressed with the Kyuubi vessel during the exams and this despairing time. However... _Sasuke..._

He was proud of his _otouto's_ progress _,_ but he'd been taken down by Gaara in the end just like Rock Lee. _I couldn't tell him myself. I had to keep him away from the clan, to make him hate me to be stronger than average. If Sasuke seeks his own path instead of clan expectations..._

Yet their father and the rest of the clan saw him as average no matter his efforts.

Itachi was there when he learned his brother had been marked, but Sandaime had no choice but to continue the exams because Orochimaru swore that he would assassinate Sarutobi, or worse - but the inevitable would occur either way. In the end, his trump card was killing the village leader and leaving his leash on Sasuke. Nobody else was to know about this, not even the Uchiha clan - and the last part was worse than ever on Itachi besides the devastation and death of the man whom he and Shisui helped avoid another Shinobi World War. His cousin took his own life in Nakano River when Danzo, ever since under house arrest by Sarutobi's order - nobody would ever learn how tarnished the Uchiha clan was - seized his right eye to prevent the coup d'état, and since then, the Uchiha had been quiet. But the distrust remained today, in the form of petty disputes.

 _But now with me about to take Sarutobi's place, things will begin to change on both sides._ Little did he know that in the next few months to come, it would become that much worse.

He never thought he would become Hokage, but when he took the seat and sat behind the desk, it felt surreal and a living dream. To be the one to handle negotiations and diplomacy - nothing new to him - but also to foresee the Genin, Chuunin and Jounin Exams, and onward. This was a great responsibility, and a great honor. Even if the two to come to him about taking this seat were involved in the original plan to judge his clan as traitors to the Hidden Leaf Village, which his little brother still knew nothing about.

For years, everyone was still after Orochimaru, and now with recent events, the seeds of something greater was still coming in his form. And you'd have thought Sasuke's will to resist would be great - and temptation gave way.

Whatever made him decide to leave them all, whatever the snake said, it had caused him to give way. But Itachi had suspicions of his own. _Naruto Uzumaki has grown stronger, so my brother has come to feel inferior. But I am the one at the top of the list...and our father...but I drove him to do this._

Danzo also had to be included. The crafty war hawk was still around, he was sure of it. If Itachi had his way, he would put the man away from the village, but what good could any of that do? Death would be too easy for him, and the Uchiha loathed killing even though he'd had to since he was a child. Unless it had to be necessary...

He learned of the fight his brother had with his teammate atop the hospital when the squad returned from the latest mission, a few weeks after his inauguration and Lady Tsunade being brought back when Orochimaru went to her to attempt to heal his sealed arms. Kakashi broke it off; he and Jiraiya both came to him about it, both men sharing how this "unhealthy rivalry and friendship" was very much like the Toad Sannin and his own old teammate, Orochimaru. And the fact this final push made their female teammate cry nonstop. Itachi regretfully had to agree, painfully so, but would not show it. He had to put aside his personal feelings for the sake of the other people around his brother.

 _Sasuke...you're becoming a fool._

What made him feel compelled to comfort in privacy was that of the rose-haired girl, Sakura. She had the best chakra control out of the trio, but compared to the boys, she was hardly worth being called a legend. And wasn't she one of Sasuke's many fangirls? He specifically recalled the duel between her and her own best friend, Ino Yamanaka, which made him shake his head. Those girls were wasting their time, and he was determined to make the girl see that. Even if he would have to be harsh on her. He was no fool; she became a ninja just to try and get close to Sasuke, whilst Naruto had his eyes on her and she would strike at him. Young girls that age had scant understanding of love compared to adulthood.

Sasuke left the village that night, packing up what he needed and set off. Word got back to him, sending him into a numbing state that he collapsed on his desk surface when he was alone again. Sakura had been found on a bench near the road which left the village; he'd knocked her out when she tried to stop him.

In an uncontrollable rage unlike himself, Fifth Hokage Itachi Uchiha ordered the boys of the remaining Rookie Eleven - excluding the girls - to seek his brother out and bring him back. He knew Sakura's emotions would interfere, and Sasuke would likely not wish to see her. This hurt to the girl's heart made Itachi decide enough was enough, and now that she was here while the men went out to the hunt, he would have the talk with her.

She walked in alone and without a word. Her short pink hair, once long but then cut off during the brutal exams, was brushed and tied down with her headband. Her skin was a healthy flush, but her vibrant green eyes were glossy and puffy from crying before she was summoned. "Sakura," he said, closing his fingers together atop his desk. "I take it you aren't faring well." To say such a thing only made the person in distress feel worse, but she didn't seem to mind - or so he thought.

"No, Lord Hokage." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him but avoided eye contact, as if ashamed. Ashamed to look at the elder brother of the boy she loved and failed to stop from leaving the village. "You blame me for not stopping him?"

"There was nothing you could have done. He chose to leave of his own will. We both agree it was Orochimaru's fault." _And someday you shall reap for this. It has taken years only for you to evade us at every turn._ Sarutobi should have killed the bastard himself when he had the chance, never mind that it had been his own student, because look what happened. He was a man who believed he was the worst Hokage in the line, but didn't he have help preventing a takeover by Itachi's own clan, with his and Shisui's help nonetheless? _Yet he could not kill his own student, who came back and marked my brother...and I have failed myself in every step._

He did not feel he deserved the Hokage seat if his baby brother had turned his back on them all. The consequences would be severe, punishable by imprisonment and perhaps the death sentence.

Her eyes squeezed shut. She was quivering, her shell slowly coming undone. He watched her without a change in expression. "Sakura, you really did care for my brother," he noted. She nodded.

"Y-yes," she whispered, the tears showing crystal clear down her cheeks. "But he said I was..."

 _He said you were the most annoying girl he'd known. He didn't understand the impact his decision would have on us all - or he didn't care, in the end. He only cared he would get what he wanted. After everything that I did for him, just to -_ Itachi held up his hand to make her stop. "My brother was foolish to not see what was in front of him," he said firmly. "He was never worth your time." Her eyes widened, shocked and hurt he would say such things to her. But all this would be was planting the seed, then give it time to grow. She had time for this. In ANBU intel and Master Jiraiya, Orochimaru's next body vessel would be in another three years, since he needed someone ripe and strong to last. With any luck, if he got his claws on Sasuke, his life would be prolonged beyond that limit.

"But he's even more foolish to sell his soul to the man who murdered the Third Hokage and nearly brought this village down."

It was then and there that her face changed altogether, eyes flashing green fire, and her lips twisting. A clear sign of unbridled fury. He braced himself for her wrath. "It's also your fault, too," she hissed, hands dropping to her sides and clenching her fists. "You pushed him away all his life, made promises you never kept, and you called him weak and pathetic instead of being there for him like a big brother should." Her words struck his sensitive core. He admitted she was right, but he wouldn't let her see she got to him.

"He ought to decide his path for himself instead of wasting his time on people who didn't see his potential. I kept him away from the clan this way because he would never gain what he wanted most, from our father and the other clan members who had fought a war that took place before either of you were born. He should hate me most of all. All I wanted was for him to walk the right path without being held back."

"I find it hard to believe. A big brother is supposed to support his younger no matter what." And this was coming from whom?

Itachi sniffed once. "The words from an only child of civilians," he said bluntly, causing her to freeze where she was. "You really thought you understood him, Sakura, but you knew nothing at all. You were sheltered and protected as he was, and you thought that because you 'loved' him, you would be that much closer. But it doesn't work that way. I have seen and done things you could never comprehend." He sat straighter in his chair. "And as your Hokage, I order you to grow up for him and the rest of us if you don't wish to be known as 'dead last' like Naruto was."

 _All it takes is a push where it hurts most to give motivation. Emotions make you weak, cloud your judgment. Sakura Haruno, you are just a child - a little girl who always needed her men to pull her to her feet. You must learn to do that on your own from now on. If your friends can't retrieve Sasuke - even if I want to believe they can - then it's your turn to grow into the ninja you dreamed of._

"You may go home now and think about what I have said. And one more thing," Itachi called just as her hand closed around the knob. She turned her pink head only halfway, refusing to look at him out of self-preservation. He smiled slightly. "You and Naruto-kun are welcomed into my office any time you wish." It was the least he could do for his brother's friends. If he still knew Sasuke well enough, his _otouto_ saw Naruto a worthy opponent and a best friend at the same time, someone to make him wish to be stronger.

Even after Sakura left to shed more tears, he had a terrible premonition up his spine. It was the same one he had the night Shisui jumped into the river, after giving him his remaining eye.

~o~

She was so hurt she wasn't sure she would be able to stand being in the presence of that man now that his brother, the boy she loved so much, was gone. He left her on the bench when she tried to stop him, threatened to scream, and he accused her of never understanding him and being so shallow. Even his elder brother stated the obvious.

 _"You really thought you understood him, Sakura, but you knew nothing at all. You were sheltered and protected as he was, and you thought that because you 'loved' him, you would be that much closer. But it doesn't work that way."_

Sakura didn't WANT to be called selfish and shallow. She wanted to show she was so much more than that. She'd stood there in the presence of the man who had exited the Academy at age seven - much sooner than she and her boys - became Chuunin at ten, then entered ANBU at eleven. And to become _captain_ at thirteen? She wasn't sure if she herself could easily do something like THAT under so much pressure! She remembered Kakashi-sensei saying that there were even young boys or girls who were even better Shinobi than he ever would be. Itachi Uchiha had to be one of them if he'd said he'd "seen and done things you could never comprehend." She was almost afraid to find out what those things were...

Sighing, Sakura sat on the nearest bench she could find - and it was none other than the one she'd sat the day it was her and Sasuke alone for the first time, and where he dumped her before going off to where that Orochimaru was. _Naruto, you guys, please bring him back. Keep your promise, Naruto._ But when the day was coming to an end, she would be in an even greater state of depression than before, and Naruto would take it just as worse.

Would Itachi feel that way and not show it?

She thought the man had no emotion to show, but there was one thing she did notice: he looked so much like Sasuke, but not at the same time. His features that marked him different from his younger brother were the long black hair in a ponytail, those downward curving lines on either side of his nose, and the tired calm. Looking at him made her blush like Sasuke was supposed to do. Why did he do that, and why was she feeling this way for him when he was so much older than her and the _Hokage?_ She doubted he would ever like her that way with the way he talked to her that day.

 _"And as your Hokage, I order you to grow up for him and the rest of us if you don't wish to be known as 'dead last' like Naruto was."_

So, that was it. His words, Naruto's return - and Sasuke gone from their lives, but still out there - was wounding to her, as was seeing all her friends battered, Shikamaru devastated with his lousy progress as squad leader, but he would learn from his mistakes...everything swirled into focus for her. Her determination to become stronger enflamed as Naruto's promise to her.

Days later, she went to Lady Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja of her time and one of the legendary Sannin, and requested she be her apprentice. The well-endowed blonde woman looked surprised for a moment - and then it turned into an expression bordering on malice. "Then let's get you started, Sakura. Before I can introduce you into medical _ninjutsu_ , I would like you to read -" She gestured to the stacks of books that lay in piles on the floor, a few scattered here and there. "- these books and learn the basics."

She could have sworn she felt her eyes pop from her skull, but she tried to assure herself it wouldn't be a problem. She could handle books; she loved every subject she got her hands on. _I can do this,_ she kept repeating over and over in her head, swearing to work day and night without even a break - but Tsunade-sama and anyone else could ask her to stop for replenishment if she overdid herself.

Either way, she would become a powerful _kunoichi_ who surpassed her master and would be one of those to bring back the boy who abandoned them like this.

 **Review please. :D And please say something that doesn't involve begging for an update.**


	2. Sakura Celebration

**I want to thank the first person who reviewed, but I was also expecting more, like I said at the end of the last chapter.**

 **I'm reaching the point where we start to see Itachi and Sakura begin the relationship they have in "Almonds and Cherry Blossoms", but it's kind of tough because I wish to not only avoid plot holes, but to make it work without forcing anything. At the same time, if it's the right time to come naturally, then it is the right time.**

Chapter Two

Sakura Celebration

Three years, and three years of strenuous field training with Tsunade and storing all that chakra into the innermost space behind her forehead: the Hundred Healings Mark. All that time of suffering painful migraines, carefully saving her energy...at the cost of her normal reserves draining. If that were to happen, she would have been a sitting duck if she were to perform surgery during battle. But she did manage to make it harmonize with her regular reserves in time for the Chuunin Exams, where she teamed with Ino and Choji. Shikamaru was one of the Proctors while they were in the Hidden Sand Village.

Sakura Haruno became one of those who passed, faced all the odds ahead - no different than it had been last time - and it was an honor that Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, had said they all proved themselves, but left each of their Kage to be the final judges to their promotions.

Those long years were paying off. She became Chuunin in no time before this period was up. With this progress, she was going to make way for a Jounin promotion faster than anyone thought. In a few months at most, which had happened sooner than she herself expected. And all her friends with her would join her on the same page.

In those three years, while Naruto went off to become stronger with Jiraiya, here she was stuck home surrounded by friends and with Tsunade's monstrous temper and encouragement that also brought hers to the surface. It also meant having to continually be in HIS presence, each time making her uncomfortable. She'd been in the Hokage's office many times, but because of this one in particular, the atmosphere had changed altogether. He managed the village very well, ensured prosperity and made his clan get along well with everyone else. The tensions were put to rest, but one issue remained.

It was in this time she stopped thinking about _him_ altogether and focused on herself.

She was fifteen years old now. She was a young girl, but mentally as well as emotionally, she could feel herself becoming more...womanly. Once she had been silly and dreamy, pining over someone who kept getting away from her. _Sasuke, he's been nothing but a burden to us all. If we get him back, what will happen? He'll just face trial and imprisonment, or trial and then execution._

Naruto would get a rude awakening when he returned, and before that, she had to stand before Godaime Itachi Uchiha just a few weeks before the hyperactive blond returned home. "When Sasuke returns, he'll face punishment. It's time you accepted that now, Sakura." He spoke without a shred of emotion or even a moment's hesitation.

She could hardly believe it when he said those words, and that was his _brother!_ When she said this, he merely deepened his frown. "How could you say such a thing about your brother?"

"I ought to have heard more respect from you, given your progress, Haruno," he answered back coldly. "I don't wish to any more than you. The merciful thing I have done is not publicly state that Sasuke is a rogue ninja now, given there is no report of immoral activities with or without Orochimaru, but as soon as he sets foot at the gates, it needs to be done. My clan will even cast him out and leave him with nothing once they set eyes on him." _Oh, it's still them. Making them happy as well as the rest of us, and now when it comes to Sasuke?! Why do they deserve anything after what you confided in me that they tried to do to us - and what they did to YOU?!_ At some point, he'd found it in himself to strangely divulge this bit of information to her one day when they were having dango in the tea shop together. She wasn't sure how it happened, but he out of the blue thought to treat her and reveal he loved the sweets as much as she did. It was something Sasuke never favored.

Back to the present. "Your clan!" she said angrily. "The one that would have taken over this village -"

"HARUNO!" he interrupted, standing up harshly and slamming his palms flat on the surface of his desk. "Enough." He calmed down and cleared his throat. "You will not speak of that again. The Uchiha name should never be tarnished. My cousin threw himself into the river when Danzo took matters into his own hands. Not a day goes by I wish I could take Shisui's eye back or even end the man myself. But that is beside the point. Sasuke disgraced us all on his own. He broke your heart and left you, and he wounded Naruto himself as well as let his comrades risk their lives for nothing. Shinobi who abandon their comrades are far worse than breaking rules."

Kakashi-sensei was the first one to teach her and the boys that unspoken but oh so important rule, so to hear it again from this man made her want to weep again. She couldn't find any words to say. She hated the Uchiha clan so much, except Mikoto who was the mother of this current Hokage and the traitorous teammate. These were the only three who had her respect.

But then she had to remember that the Second Hokage had ordered the entire clan outside the village, separated from them, and had them control the police force because he felt they could seek out the criminals - but it only provoked them. Just as keeping them under watch by the ANBU Black Ops after the Kyuubi attack had done so. Nobody still knew who let the demon run amok, but it was believed someone who used the Sharingan, since the Uchiha could control and manipulate a great amount of chakra like that.

The Uchiha also seized their predicament and put Itachi in ANBU as their personal spy, but he turned on them because he loved his village more, and feared another war if his kin rebelled.

Itachi sighed and sat down again. "Sakura, perhaps we should have another chat."

She was so angry with him that it felt like it would go out of control. And him - how could he be so handsome like his brother, sit behind that desk and just take all this? She wanted to think being Hokage for him now was no better than being ANBU captain in his day. He had more on his plate to worry about even if it was no longer clan schemes - or was she wrong? He didn't tell her everything just yet.

 _Why is he thinking to treat me like I am someone special?_

There was a part of Sakura that started to believe he was doing this because he cared about her, especially after what Sasuke did to her. He'd told her she was welcomed into his office anytime for someone to talk to. After all, Naruto had the Third Hokage when he was alive as a somewhat grandfather figure. Ino was also devastated like she was when the...bastard left. Her parents couldn't really understand at all. And who else understood her besides Naruto better than the elder brother himself...?

Maybe that was why he gave a damn about her without being that much personal, except sharing dango with her and patiently confiding her over the one person they cared about. Which was where they found themselves now, after he'd asked his secretary to pick up the tri-color from the shop. Upcoming was the Hanami Festival, when the cherry blossoms would be in bloom. She was really excited and looking forward to it. Her mother was giddy and even helped her pick out her dress.

 _Sasuke should be here to enjoy it like he did last time._

But his brother was here, so maybe Itachi would be better for her to bring the homemade sweets than no one at all.

He was looking at her now as if reading her mind, smiling a little as if understanding...and then something changed.

 _She found herself on the very same road - the bench was there. He stood several feet from her, his back to her. The crest of his clan radiated cold and burning at the same time. His back faced her, never to look back again, or on their comrades and village._

 _His words, cold and cruel, continued to repeat themselves as they did the first day._

"You're so annoying."

 _No. No, she was NOT._

"Annoying."

"Stop it, Sasuke," _she ground out, squeezing her eyes shut._ "You don't know me."

 _He ignored her._ "You're annoying, Sakura."

 _She lost it then and there. "SHUT UP!"_

 _A deep throated chuckle was heard behind her._ "That's it, Sakura-chan..tell him like you mean it. You see that he won't acknowledge you..." _Hot breath on her ear made her shiver and go weak at the knees._ "...but _I_ will."

 _Her world then swirled into colors of blue, black, silver and white..._

...and now she found herself falling forward only to be swept into lithe, strong arms and carried like a bride. Her head was still spinning before it shifted back into focus. Green eyes met red and black which faded into pure onyx, cold and calm, but concerned. Sakura was so outraged as she realized what he'd done to her and thrashed. "Put me down!" Chuckling, he let her down to stand on both feet. "Why did you do that to me?!" _He put a_ genjutsu _on me, made me relive that night._

"It was my means to make you see it, and I can see that you are starting to. You were wasting your time trying to get his attention, but in the end, he left you with nothing. Perhaps you should think of this as pulling yourself onto your own feet. You should look around yourself and see another man worthy of your affections, cherish you as valuable instead of base." Itachi was walking back to his chair while she remained standing, fuming but also understanding him better. There were no words to describe how ashamed she was, all this time thinking she could be a ninja for a boy who didn't look at her as more than a teammate.

But his _brother_ gazed at her and the potential she had. That made her heart flutter with real joy. Wasn't that what she wanted all this time? Couldn't she at least do this for herself and not anyone else?

"My dear _kunoichi,_ you have come so far, and it's time I was the one to show you personally how to resist _genjutsu_ \- and to pull another out of it. After all, you still wish to show your Kyuubi friend how much you have also improved, do you not?" he asked with a slight tilt of the lips. "And to show my brother how he's underestimated you..."

~o~

Another would call him a manipulator, but he had his reasons for making the young woman see the big picture. He knew that spot in the park well enough, remembered what she told him well enough to create the world in her mind. She had to see that she wasted all the precious time pining for the wrong boy - or the wrong Uchiha. Her broken heart had to heal sooner or later. He stayed aside long enough.

She could have broken out of his illusion if she could, but she had stored all that chakra behind her forehead to the Hundred Healings which would someday make itself known. Her strength he witnessed in training grounds, in which she toppled nearly every tree or made the earth quake...she could take care of herself fine. He hid and watched but did not once step out to help her.

He remembered what she was like as a young teenager: long pink hair, red dress - the picture of femininity. But then that hair was cut like a pixie's, and now she was in a tight red blouse and black shorts, and her attitude was no longer sweet and polite, provoked not only towards Naruto - but towards anyone who thought to cross her. Some called her "Tsunade Number Two" which even flattered the Slug Princess herself. The girl was no longer the book smart beauty who constantly needed rescuing. She was turning into a strong young woman still lovely but in a fiercer way, less concerned about her appearance - and seemed to stop thinking about Sasuke even while she had been training. That was when he chose to go to the extremes when he did, for a purpose of his own. His younger brother was a fool, but not he.

Itachi was in love with her. It wasn't like the way he loved Sasuke, but it was something else. He cared enough about her. He saw someone who would be greater than her sensei, someone that Sasuke would realize he'd missed and would be utterly ashamed.

However, he did not plan to tell her anytime soon. Three years had passed for their time together to suffice, but it wasn't enough. She was too focused on making herself strong that no distractions could be afforded. But now with the Cherry Blossom Season coming up, he could afford to get out of the office to seize his opportunity. He would bring her his share of dango, along with a special his mother had made herself. It was part of the event to bring your own or grab take-out.

Itachi dressed himself in a rich red kimono patterned with black-and-gold cranes that day, a few days later, when the vibrant pink blossoms splashed the village and drifted petals down over happy villagers with their family meals and exchanging with others they cherished. In every spot they chose, it was a...picnic beneath those trees which should happen more often. This was a family tradition for the Uchiha, but with one more gone for the wrong reasons...

He shook his head and chose to enjoy the day, not before making his announcement as Hokage that it was a day to cherish and take nothing for granted. When he stepped down, he saw _her,_ and it was as if the world stopped so that it was only her.

The _yukata_ was creamy, patterned with pale green and pink blossoms. In her hair was a delicate golden headband of pearls and flowers. Exotic and sweet. Eyes shining with mirth. In her hands was a white box covered with the flowers of her name. A living cherry blossom standing right there.

The two people he recognized - the man with pale hair, lighter than Sakura's, and the blonde woman - happened to be her parents. He approached them reverently and bowed his head. "Haruno-san," he said to the young lady who stood straight and blushed at the sight of him. Around him, other younger ladies and even those older than him were sighing and falling down at the sight of him - some in the arms of the significant others they had already, much to their disdain and jealousy. "You look perfectly pleasant -" He looked up at her parents. "- and Kizashi and Mebuki, as are you."

"Why, Hokage-sama, you're nothing but a charmer!" Mebuki gushed, much to the annoyance and amusement of her husband, who chortled and reached to offer his hand for a shake. Trying not to wince at the overt joviality of the pair, he instead focused his attention on the daughter who looked at them with rolling eyes. She clearly had never been so embarrassed. _But having parents who irritate you for the fun of it is far better than a clan who used you as a tool._

"Sakura," her father said, "why don't you spend some time with Lord Fifth while your mother and I have our...alone time with our friends? Or see any of yours?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. The man was trying to _set his daughter up with the leader of the village._ Part of him was thrilled, but he would not easily cave in for his own enthusiasm. "Beg your pardon, Kizashi-san, but that is hardly appropriate." Mebuki slapped her husband on the shoulder to say "I told you so", but Kizashi insisted just because he wanted to see his daughter happy for once instead of just trying to be a ninja. He frowned to himself; Sakura was the daughter of civilians, so he assumed she wanted to be so much more than a simple girl.

"Very well then. She shall not be harmed." He nodded for her to come with him. "Forgive me, I did not realize your parents would be so -"

"Pushy," she answered, almost bitterly. "Yeah, it's always like that. My mom still treats me like a kid." Itachi suppressed a snicker, which annoyed her. "It's not funny."

He cleared his throat. "No, it is not. But it's amusing." As it was fun to watch her get angry. He never realized how being comfortable around her would take him back to how it used to be - "Shall we stop here?" The two of them found themselves at the site of the bench. He paused, wondering if it was a good idea to be at a place where there were painful memories for her, good and bad.

Sakura looked up at him with a slight smile and nodded. "I want to be here because..." She swallowed, stopping there as if unsure of what she wanted to say would make things awkward. But he saw it in her eyes, yet she wasn't ready to tell him for fear of getting hurt again.

 _She wishes to enjoy my presence on the spot which means the world to her._ It made him feel so...like the day Sasuke was born.

"This is for you," Sakura told him, holding the box she brought to him. "My mom made them, but I couldn't...tell her who it was for." Which implied she thought of him only. Curious, Itachi took it and then gave her the one his mother created in her kitchen. "I guess on three, we open what the other made." Sakura laughed as sweetly as the flowers. He agreed, and after three, he opened the box to see a simply but sumptuous dish which appeared to be made of eggs, shrimp, perhaps some greens and mushrooms. It smelled so delightful that he wanted to devour it then and there, but he had manners.

"Now open yours." Inside was a broiled mackerel fish covered with Mikoto's special marinade sauce to give it an exotic flavor. Her eyes widened; he wouldn't be surprised if her mouth watered as well.

"Thank you, Lord Fifth," she said softly.

He chuckled. "Please, you may call me Itachi - when we are not in office," he added firmly. She lowered her eyes somewhat shyly, embarrassed.

"...Itachi." Why did hearing his name from her lips sound like a musical tune from nature?

Later as night was falling and the lanterns were lit for sparklers and more fun, she joined him for a cup of green tea, sitting across a small table set up for the two of them. "I don't know about you, but I feel...so much better with you with me, Itachi," she told him, clearly struggling with herself inside. He could understand why. She saw his brother in him, but he wasn't Sasuke. "Us surrounded by the village we love, our comrades and loved ones..."

"Everything precious to us like these flowers," Itachi answered, heartily agreeing. The more he enjoyed this day and now evening, the more his shell melted because of this woman who was so sweet and innocent but so hard and powerful at the same time. "They remind us that our lives could end anytime, and we must take advantage to cherish every living moment we have while it is in front of us..." _Which Sasuke failed to do. If he came back around, it will be too late for him._

Sakura looked like she might have pieced together what he implied as he kept his eyes on her the entire time he spoke, speechless even when the dumplings arrived for them.


	3. To Catch the Prize

**The final chapter is right here. For those who haven't read "Almonds and Cherry Blossoms", that is next. And before anyone asks for more of this and the sequel, they are both completed - and up next will be a third and final in this little series. It won't be a big, single multi-chaptered fic in one.**

 **So, this story takes place before "Almonds and Cherry Blossoms" if anyone didn't understand.**

Chapter Three

To Catch the Prize

The short-lived intoxicating blossoms were still alive and yet falling to the ground when he visited the flower shop the next day. The event would last for two weeks as long as these flowers which was also the name of the one on his mind would flourish. As long as recorded history and orally told, the cherry blossoms were sacred and should never be taken for granted. Soon he would start properly gaining her favor and respect.

Green orchids, pink blossoms, green ferns - it was exotic and romantic, according to Yamanaka-san herself. Her cheeks were blushing faintly pink, shyly asking him if he was intending to ask a special lady on a date or something. It was rare for the Hokage to be on the streets at this time of day. _To be away from the piles of paperwork is refreshing. What is a village leader if you can't have a little action on the battlefield or amongst your people?_

He wasn't wearing his cloak when he walked the streets, with the flowers in hand. He purposefully knew what he was doing with this, and if she was infuriated with him, he had a good feeling it wouldn't last forever. She would see that his brother never would have done something like this for her. But if she wanted a taste of this as young women her age did, he was happy to accommodate.

Mebuki Haruno just about turned tomato red and nearly passed out at the sight of him. Again, he resisted rolling his eyes. The Uchiha were irresistible, even to married women like Sakura's mother. Kizashi, however, heartily accepted the flowers and promised he and his wife would keep them fresh and make sure their daughter got them when she returned. She was currently training with Tsunade-sama, making him smile slightly.

He did not leave a note, but there was no doubt that her parents would tell her who the sender was.

He half-expected her to confront him about the flowers, but nothing happened in the next couple days. In the meantime, he kept himself busy with maintaining security, giving odd jobs for the Genin, testing the Chuunin to their limits - herself included - and sending out the best Jounin to handle any threats or to apprehend wanted criminals. He couldn't afford to think too much about Sakura Haruno, and it seemed she tried not to think too much about him either.

No worries about his parents and the clan learning about this, but when the time would come, he would have the final say in who he had as a capable partner. He had no doubt his mother would adore her, but his father was another story. Time would be on their sides.

There was another matter entirely. He was now on the verge of turning twenty-one. The stress of being Hokage would take its toll on a person, but it wasn't compared to the pain he suffered being a double agent, being captain of ANBU until his retirement. In fact, according to doctors, improvement began to show, but he had to be careful with his diet and the likes. During the day, he would order Ichiraku's and his cherished dango. If he remembered correctly, Naruto Uzumaki loved the famed noodles. It was all he could ever afford and eat, and he was one of the few to NEVER become seriously ill from it. Itachi chuckled to himself as he could imagine that when the boy returned from his training with Master Jiraiya, it would be the first stop he'd make.

 _Wait until he sees that the Sakura he remembered is changed._

The festival continued to go on for another week, and it was by then that he finally got a response from her. She had been kept busy with surgery to even visit him, and he could not yet summon her. He did this just for her. He didn't remember ever thinking about a woman's life like this. His clan treated their women like backgrounds, to be seen and not heard. Those women who refused to back down were called disgraces and disowned, which was why you didn't see or hear of it nowadays. But one such exception was Izumi's mother, and both his old childhood friend and her mother had returned to the clan only when her father died the night of the Nine-Tails rampage.

He would see to that Sakura Haruno would never be treated like this. She deserved more than this. Which was why he was Hokage. His clan was satisfied with being allowed to let more people not among them into the police force, relocated from the outskirts after the village was repaired so they could really be a part of the system.

Back to the maturing pinkette. In the three years that passed, he watched from a distance and in the few times he summoned her for a task, and spoke privately with the Slug Sannin herself.

The day he got the homemade dango from her highlighted his day. Which also happened to be the day _Naruto Uzumaki_ returned.

~o~

The Hokage was really that interested in her. She thought she knew why, but sometimes she found herself questioning. He sent her flowers, they still exchanged sweets, but she hadn't seen or spoken to him since the picnic in the park. She kept herself busy while he did the same. Duty came first as they knew.

Sakura hid her red blush from Ino, whom he'd gotten the flowers from and who really had no idea who the Uchiha was giving them to. _Why would he?_ After that, she tried to distance herself as much as possible even if he never summoned her. But today, after the end of the first week of the _hanami,_ she made him more sweets to send to him. A small part of her wished he could just come to her house already and just say something...

It was also this day that Naruto came back. In fact, it didn't take long for the news to reach their friends and fellow Chuunin - but that also meant he was still a Genin. When she saw him, she was blown off her feet at not only his new jumpsuit, but the fact he had _physically changed._ He was so strong he could use the Rasengan to max. She had mustered her chakra control and stored it behind her forehead, and all it needed was to be awoken on the battlefield - or sooner if possible.

Their friends were beyond ecstatic. Akamaru grew to wolf-size. Neji was special Jounin. All of them made Chuunin. That alone let Naruto down to no end, but did you see that stopping him?

The Godaime wasted no time summoning them to his office. Smiling, Itachi welcomed him back before letting Kakashi test them both against him to see how two of his students had improved - and the single mention of _Sasuke_ was taboo on all of them. At least Naruto never gave up on him. That was why he had gone away in the first place. To get stronger so they could reteam and get their friend and the Hokage's younger brother back.

She and Naruto got the bells based on their old sensei's weakness: the ending of the new _Icha Icha_ addition. Priceless victory! And with Jiraiya, Tsunade and Itachi watching them proudly.

The fact that the older Uchiha brother was here made her wish Sasuke could pull his head out of his ass and see them the way they were now.

When they finally found one of Orochimaru's locations in Otogakure with help of Itachi's crows, Team Seven became known as Team Kakashi and set out to recover him...only to be cruelly rejected and nearly killed by him if none of them had stood on their toes, or if the Snake Sannin and Kabuto didn't arrive to take him away. Only one word could come to mind.

 _Failed._

Why was it that twice in a row, they came so close to Sasuke only to lose him again?!

So, Itachi had been right when he said Sasuke was now a rogue when he refused to come back to them. The three of them relayed the very same words their former comrade had spat at them: _"I am done with the Leaf Village. I severed all my bonds. They only prevent you from accomplishing the important goal at hand. And the bond I have with my brother - that is the bond of hatred. Our clan refused to acknowledge me when I tried to rise to their standards."_

And why didn't he kill Naruto when he had the chance? _"That was only a whim, and now I am going to kill Naruto on a whim..."_ But it never happened, when Naruto somehow lost Tsunade's crystal which suppressed the fox demon inside him, and Sasuke's Sharingan had done the deed. Naruto explained this, and that the beast had been the one to warn Sasuke to not kill his best friend, or else he would regret it. Somehow that had done the trick in stopping Sasuke from murdering him outright.

She had been prepared to kill him herself. She had spent the last three years reaching the same side as her boys - no, just _one_ boy now. She'd seen it that day. _That bastard...he's done nothing but hurt me, Naruto and everyone else. We had to sacrifice so he could get what he wanted. In that case, I hope it was worth it, if he is willing to throw away his entire life to that snake._

"...I see," Itachi said, eyes closed, as soon as they were done speaking. His tone betrayed no emotion, but Sakura knew how he was feeling. Then his eyes opened again, and they rested on her. The intensity made her stomach twist into a painful knot. When he dismissed everyone, he ordered her to stay. "You see it now, Sakura. He has turned his back on us all - most of all, against you and Naruto."

She couldn't trust herself to speak, which he noted duly. "I'm very pleased that your heart did not cloud your judgment this time. Sasuke chose this path - a road where none of us can catch up to him." Silently spoken: _it was destined to happen._

Were the last three years all for nothing?

 _No,_ her mind defied, _it wasn't just for Sasuke. I did this for myself. I pushed myself, let this man and_ shishou _push me to my limits. I wasn't alone._ She should tell him that the boy they cared about was still inside that cold shell who nearly killed all three of them - Kakashi had a wounded shoulder now from the rogue Uchiha's sword - but her heart knew the truth. It was too late. She couldn't stop him from leaving that night. The night she never knew at the time would have bordered on defecting herself.

"It is time to let go of the past now, Sakura." She stared at him in shock, at his blatantness. "We live in the present now, and in the present, we let go of the foolishness that had been motivating you and Naruto to come to where you are now. I have done that a long time ago."

Half of her wanted to say he was as much of a bastard like his brother was. But every word he said, every powerful effect he'd influenced on her all these years - he had been nothing but right. He reminded her that her life would be cut short if she spent the rest of it pursuing the one who kept getting away from her. Just like the cherry blossoms she was named for. Life was beautiful, but tragically short-lived. The samurai lived to discipline and preserve honor, only to die just as quickly as the flowers. They accepted death willingly, but those who would not must take their own lives to escape disgrace.

How the hell did he come to stand in front of her now? Sakura wanted to fight back, but this was Itachi Uchiha, for Kami's sake! The man who experienced war as a child, entered ANBU when he was barely a teenager, and became Hokage as soon as he breached adulthood. He was maybe decades wiser than his years. He towered over her, his cloak billowing around him to give him the appearance of an entity. It was around her in no time.

Onyx eyes flashed red, swirling with the tomoe as they peered into her soul. "I see you have woken up, Sakura." His voice was softer, tender, but still with depth. "You've chased after the wrong Uchiha - why don't you find it in your heart for the one in front of you? The one who didn't call you annoying, who was with you all this time and wishes to give you this now..."

He procured something from within his cloak and handed it to her then and there. It was a small pouch, with the feel of folded paper inside and something else. Sakura's cheeks were burning so much, her heartbeat increasing tenfold that she almost didn't see it. The temperature of the room had gotten so dense that she almost fainted. Her fingers unconsciously took the mysterious bag and were on the verge of opening them when the one who gave it to her stopped her.

"They're for your eyes, but not within these walls. You are dismissed, _kunoichi._ "

Sakura snapped back to life, the burning in her cheeks subsiding when she found herself glued in the same place as before. Her blood boiled both with frustration and with the feeling she knew too well. She turned on her heel; if she stayed one more second here, she would go insane. She tucked the pouch into her belt, hid it safely from other eyes. Naruto saw her and shouted for ramen, which she easily agreed to because she needed a distraction.

Later, before she turned the light out to sleep, she opened the small bag, and out fell not only folded up parchment, but also a golden necklace with a twisted knot. She swallowed the lump. It was a _lover's knot._ And what the note said didn't make anything better.

 _If you consider rejecting me, I doubt you will that easily, little blossom whom I have watched all these years. I have kept these feelings bottled up for the longest time, but with what my traitorous brother has done once again, it is time to open the bottle once and for all. Sakura, you deserve more that he cannot give you. Even if he were to come around, it is too late. You know this, deep down._

 _This token I give you is not to ask you to be a mistress, but it is my means of professing my undying, unconditional love. I am not a love-struck adolescent you'd expect, but when an Uchiha comes to know love - in family or outside - it is indescribable, powerful, and unbreakable. However, when you lose the one you cherish more than anything in the world, the agony is beyond repairing. No different than Sasuke has done to you._

 _I could not tell you from my own lips with reason. You know me well to never beat around the bush. A true Shinobi can protect from the shadows, the same way that a true love could stand by and let their treasure be with another if it is for the best - but the limits could only go so far. You have put your heart under the axe long enough. It is time to open your eyes and marvel for the one who will never take you for granted._

 _Will you not accept my hand with passion and happiness, before it ends any moment and one of us lives with the regret - just as we regret never saving Sasuke? Human life is loved but short-lived like the flowers that will bloom for one more week at most..._

It was signed by none other than Itachi Uchiha, Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The man who unleashed his love after waiting long enough. The man who persisted her and opened her eyes. The man who didn't see her as dead weight. Who encouraged her to be stronger without relying on the men in her life.

Sakura Haruno could NOT sleep that night and chose to slip out of her room that same night, with her parents asleep, and all of Konoha on the verge. Wearing the necklace, her heart on her sleeve and worth the risk, she departed from the safety of her room, in a loose red shirt and her black shorts, with very little to protect what they covered. She might regret this in the morning, but she was done being too safe and holding back.

~o~

He did not sleep much anymore. Since Sasuke's defect, he would settle on a cup of tea and then recline in his chair in the tower, gazing out the window. After one of the dreams he had about Sakura. Wet, heated, and intensely powerful. It was a man's natural urge, but she was not some other woman to take into bed. He hadn't laid with a woman yet, but he did study the arts of seduction and love. Uchiha never took mistresses for whatever reason; women were not cattle to savor and then trade off.

He knew she would snap eventually at his note and little gift, but he didn't expect to sense her coming to him _tonight at this time_. His window had been opened when his crow came to him and cawed. Smiling slightly, he let the barrier down to permit her entrance. She was outside his door in no time. It was just the two of them, and if any ANBU tried to stop her, he would say she was here on his account.

Itachi stood there in his black _yukata_ which wasn't embroidered. Sakura was in a loose red blouse and black shorts. They stood face-to-face, with little to hide now. She said nothing, intently looking at him with expressive verdant eyes, and his were hard onyx, betraying smoldering fire.

They wanted the same thing, with no more talking and no need. It was understood. "Before we proceed, Sakura," he said, "are you in love with me as much as I am with you? I am not Sasuke."

She nodded. "I don't want to have my heart broken again, Itachi," she answered. Sighing and shaking his head, Itachi reached to put both hands on her shoulders, bowing his head to touch his forehead against hers. _I thought I made it clear that will never be my intention._

"You don't have to be afraid of me. Nor do you have to worry about my clan. Whatever will happen, you are capable of taking care of yourself, and I am more than capable of protecting you." He inched his chin upwards so that his lips touched hers for the first time. An unidentified sweetness - flowers or berries, or both? - sent his senses and taste buds into overdrive as he found himself devouring her on the spot, and she wasn't complaining. His arms swept her up into his body, her legs wrapping around his waist as he took her in the direction of his bedroom, dropping them both down and raising himself to look over the divine figure splayed beneath him. He wondered if this was really a good idea, after all. Was it a rush? Asking her this, she shook her head.

"Who said that our lives are too short to waste any time?" He smiled at her and leaned down to capture her lips again, at the same time his hands moved her shirt, exposing her firm stomach and then had the fabric above her chest so he could see her half-naked body. Her voice descended from words into mewls of pleasure when he found both of her breasts. She wasn't small, but she wasn't voluptuous either. _And the necklace...she wears it. I'm honored._ He squeezed each nipple between his fingers until they were hard as pebbles, making her cries a little louder than before; he smirked that he got this reaction out of her.

"I-Ita -" _Yes, say my name and not my foolish brother's._ Bowing his head, Itachi assaulted her breasts with his lips and tongue. He rumbled against her sumptuous curves with delight.

 _Sing for me, my sweet._

She'd pulled the shirt from over her head in his ministrations on her feminine curves, before moving to push down the shorts to show she wasn't wearing any underwear. "Very naughty, blossom," he purred, shamelessly ghosting a finger over the small pastel triangle between her legs, glittering with arousal. He bowed his head down there and inhaled her scent, loving the musk. Her hips shook a little with the jolts he was pleased he was instilling in her. She was an overtly sensitive little maiden. And she was about to be subjected to what Sasuke would miss out on by his doing.

But he also intended to not frighten her and make their first time forced. "May I?" he asked, looking up at her and seeing her eyes squeezed as she was embarrassed to see him _down there_. Chuckling, Itachi dipped his head and nuzzled the curls before he found what he was looking for: the sweet pearl of pink which made her body wild and frenzied. She tasted divine!

Her cries were raw and uncontrollable that they made his need flare and ache to join with hers. At some point, Itachi shed his robe so he was naked with her. Sakura looked at him with wide eyes, glazed when she looked him over - like he was a god in her eyes.

His hips came to meet with hers. "I'll be gentle with you, Sakura," he promised huskily, knowing that for her, it would hurt for a moment like a sheet tearing, but it would be gone when he drove her to unlimited passion. His manhood aligned with her weeping sex, swollen and bulging, the tip leaking a pearl that mated with her juices upon contact. Her hips bucked his, telling him she couldn't wait anymore. When he broke through that thin barrier, she did cry out in pain before it turned to pleasure, and he took her to places neither had been before.

Their bodies coalesced as one fluid entity, rolling about in the great bed, time flying past very slowly for them. The stars winked out, clouds coming to obscure the moon, and the only witness was one of Itachi's crows which guarded him with his life.

Itachi was laying on his back by the end of it when the peak was reached, plummeting off in an adrenaline rush, landing hard on the bottom. The excitement was gone, replaced with mellowed bones and muscles, flesh coated with perspiration.

"That was...amazing." She panted, burying her face into the crook of his neck, on the verge of falling asleep when she had a home to return to. Smiling, Itachi held her close for a few moments, relishing her body with his. He didn't want it to end, either, but there would be a time where he would keep her all night long. Their first night would not be it.

"I'm happy you feel it, too, but I wish you could stay for the rest of the night." He kissed her soft, firm shoulder. "And right now, you'll sleep and dream, and tomorrow we discuss the future..." He had her in his dream world in no time, and when that was done, he redressed them both before picking her up in both arms, carrying her across the rooftops of the village until they reached her house. He got her inside without alerting her parents, gently leaving her in the bed he knew was hers just by looking at the certain items fitting a young lady.

 _My Sakura._ He brushed his fingers through her rosy bangs and kissed her slightly flushed skin.

When she awoke in the morning, she would debate whether or not it happened too fast, but he doubted it. All he knew was that she had woken to her senses, and he wasn't going to let her be hurt by his rogue brother anymore. And he certainly wouldn't make her give up the life she fought long and hard for herself. She would be beside him as an equal and not an inferior.

 **REVIEWS PLEASE. :D Happy with how this fic turned out very much, just like I was with its sequel. Though when I was trying to think of the Uchiha clan's life in here, I chose to do little and leave it to the imagination, since people have obviously seen this before. And given that Itachi is Hokage now, it would mean that he damned well made sure his people were happy and didn't have ALL the power. Since Itachi himself is loved by everyone, prevented a war from breaking out (Shisui still dying and it does prevent the uprising).**

 **With this and "Almonds and Cherry Blossoms" done, wait until I bring the third and final. :) Sasuke returns, Orochimaru is dead, and he's gonna find his brother and Sakura together, so let's see how that goes...**


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